Covert Glimpses
by MeriHara
Summary: The only reason Izuku still looked at Kacchan was because he wanted to figure out why the blonde hated him, right? Never having the nerve to ask Katsuki until the fated day All Might created an assigned partner project, Izuku finally has a reason to confront his childhood friend (Ongoing)
1. Chapter 1

' _There was a time when Katsuki and I were... well, different_

 _He was fairly kind, always showing off the most wonderful smiles._

 _It used to kinda remind me of All Might's in a way..._

 _Taking the lead on our friendship, Katsuki would drag me everywhere._

 _Those are certainly the days that I miss._

 _I wonder what happened to him, to us._

 _There was suddenly just this anger one day._

 _He never explained it, and soon, he was quite distant._

 _Maybe, that's the reason I can never fully let go of Kacchan._

 _He had been the best… The best of everyone._

 _My very best friend, and my very first love.'_

* * *

"IZUUUUUKUUUUU"

Eyes shot open wide as Midoriya stumbled to a halt. Had Uraraka seen? The hero trainee immediately flamed red at the thought of his new friend noticing his straying eyes, mind, and thoughts. Shuffling to face Uraraka quickly, Midoriya accessed the demeanor of his bubbly friend as Ochako floated over. Dismissing the thought that she might've noticed his wandering thoughts, Izuku greeted the brunette with a timid smile.

"M-morning Uraraka!"

Pouting immediately at the use of her last name, Ochako tsked before sighing heavily. "Izuku. What am I going to do with you! You walked right past without even noticing me. How can one space out that much on the way to school? What if you-" Finally cognizance of the look of nervous guilt plaguing Midoriya's face, Uraraka dropped the subject. Flashing a quick smile, she motioned her green haired friend to follow.

Peeved and guilty twinges soon replaced by light hearted faces as they took up exchanging pleasantries and small talk on the rest of the trek to school. Sighing happily, Midoriya finally concluded that Ochako had not seen him gazing at Kacchan earlier. For this moment in time, Izuku was safe from Infinity Girl truly realizing that he had been oogling his childhood friend.

'I can't be obvious. Uraraka and Iida are smart. They'll certainly notice if I look in Kacchan's direction to much during class.' Mumbling under his breath, Midoriya entered Yuuei determined not to show his feelings for Bakugou during school hours.

* * *

It wasn't difficult to notice the divisions in Yuuei's class 1-A. The students had broken themselves into smaller cliques that stuck like glue together, doing nearly everything possible as their own individual teams. Group projects, eating lunch, walking home, even attending the restrooms! Though Midoriya was not an exception, spending nearly all his school time with Iida and Uraraka. The nervous, emerald hero was quite perplexed on how he was to even try and befriend his childhood crush.

"TODAY we have ASSIGNED partner projects! This project will last throughout the school year, so get ready to become friends with your new partner for they are final!" Cringing slightly at All Might's loud tone, the nerves began settling in. Assigned and final? This was new, maybe he'd get to be with Ochako or Tenya? He honestly wouldn't mind being placed with anyone as long as they kept up with the work.

Removing his notes from a folder, All Might continued on with the instructions, "This project is to strengthen the understanding of your quirk, fighting skills, and instinct. Your partner has been chosen based upon complementary skill level, as this is to be beneficial learning experience for both parties... As for the actual assignment, you are two brainstorm with your partner and improve your quirk-"

"What do you mean improve our quirk?"

Mineta screeched out, clearly not liking the route this assignment was going.

"You can take it whatever way you see fit. Increasing your strength and stamina. Discovering a new use for hero work. Evolve the power you already have. Overcome a side affect. The possibilities are endless! Improve yourself and your quirk until you have something to show off to the rest of the class. It doesn't need to be classy, flashy, or interesting. But make it an improvement that you can be proud of!"

A majority of the class smiled and grew excited for the project. They'd been given free range to create a new aspect of their hero. Together they could brainstorm and spar with one another until they figured out an idea to use.

"I've already decided upon your partners, and as I stated earlier, they are permanent until the end of this year. Once you receive the slip, I'll remain for 15 minutes to answer any questions. From here on out, two of our five classes per week will be dedicated to progressing your quirks. I will assist with advice and answering questions, however, the idea for the progression in your quirk must be one of your own. On work days, you will break away and practice in whatever area of the school that will best benefit your idea for the day. And with that, let. Us. BEGIN!"

Speeding down the rows of desks, All Might left slips of paper with instructions. The students eyes quickly scanned over the handout, searching for the name of who their partner would be.

"Oh, Iida, I'm with you!"

"Todoroki, it seems I must overcome your fire, with shadows."

"Tsu-chan, it'll be so much fun working with you!"

Midoriya's eyes quickly scanned the paper, his eyes roving over the pairs until finally landing on his name.

 **Midoriya, Izuku and Bakugou, Katsuki**

"I WOULD'VE TAKEN LITERATELY ANYONE OVER FUCKING DEKU!"

Izuku's heart sank. Quickly, he realized that Kacchan did not share his burst in happiness upon knowing that they would be spending two days a week for the next year alone together. Though, it was no surprise. There had been a tiny hope lurking in the depths of his mind that Katsuki might have been happy to be partnered with him.

* * *

 _ **AN: I'm humongous gay shipping trash when it comes to Katsuki X Izuku.**_

 _ **I seriously never thought I'd write BnHA fanfic, but I just... welp. The characters got me, and there isn't enough of this pairing out there.**_

 _ **Sorry it's not longer though. I'm having a little trouble getting into the grove of writing as English was never my strong suit  
I hope you enjoy~**_

 _ ***MeriHara***_


	2. Chapter 2

' _Fucking Deku._

 _Of course it'd be him._

 _How could it be anyone else besides the sole person I'd been trying to ignore for the last…_

 _Well, who knows how god damn long it's been!'_

* * *

Time worked slowly for Katsuki as he scanned down the lines looking to see what dumbass he'd been paired with. There were very few people that he felt comfortable enough to want to spar all out together, and if he were to learn anything from this fucking project, it certainly needed to be one of those select few. All Might had said the partners were chosen based upon comparable skill level, hopefully that means-

Katsuki's eyes narrowed to slits focusing on his name.

 **Midoriya, Izuku and Bakugou, Katsuki**

'You've got to be fucking kidding me,' the bomber thought to himself before screaming out enraged.

"I WOULD'VE TAKEN LITERATELY ANYONE OVER FUCKING DEKU!"

The room became hushed for a moment, not surprised by Katsuki's outburst, but merely out of curiosity if his explosion would continue. As many of the students stared on, focusing in on the petrified, embarrassed Midoriya to see if he would retort. However, the tomato-red hero was avoiding the eyes of the bomber, who looked as though he wanted to murder All Might.

Quickly gathering his shit, Katsuki stared down Deku as he stalked towards his desk.

"If you're only staying for fifteen minutes, and I'm stuck with this god damned nerd, then I'm leaving now with him." Katsuki's voice eerily announced his plans to the teacher and class. "Pack," the bomber rasped out to Deku. Staring down at the childhood… friend who had been the bane of his existence for many years now.

Squeaking out a mere "okay," Midoriya hastily shoved his things in their place and threw his pack over his shoulder before turning towards Bakugou. Still avoiding his eyes, the smaller hero whispered out a "ready", before immediately being grabbed by Katsuki and manhandled towards the door.

"Okay, we're out of here. To spar or fucking brainstorm or some shit."

The furious bomber dragged his partner out of class, all the while cursing about his horrible luck for getting paired with Deku. After dragging him from corridor through corridor and up two flights of stairs, Katsuki finally ushered the hero nerd onto the roof. Tossing his bag on the ground, his anger finally burst forth full blast. Anxious explosions surged from his hands as he tried to calm his emotions.

"K-Kacchan… M-Maybe All Might w-will make an exception for us…?" Deku's timid voice, merely enraged Katsuki further, his explosions becoming more frequent until finally stopping completely.

"Deku, you fucking nerd. Pay attention in class. This is permanent. Fucking final, remember? We're stuck together, you shithead." Breathing out a frustrated sign, Katsuki continued on. "We will learn to work together, and I will _try_ to not fucking kill you. Just don't do anything stupid, Deku."

A look of shock passed the smaller hero trainee's face as he realized Katsuki wasn't going to pummel him into the ground, but the bomber was not phased in the slightest. Of course the fucking nerd would be phased by his want to cooperate with this dumb- no. smart, project. His partner was dumb.

"I want to be a hero shithead. You're gunning for the same route, and actually, kind of have a powerful quirk… granted it fucking destroys you if you use it though. If you get past that, and we have to work together in the future, it's not gonna help my fucking luck if I can't god damn work with you because of my anger."

Katsuki sneered his speech out to Deku, speaking down to him as he always had. However, he kept close watch on his partner's reaction, confirming deep found fears that the nerd was in fact shit terrified of him still. Breathing out steam and trying to relax at least an inch, Katsuki spat out his next words too.

"So? Are you gonna fucking say anything you god damned nerd? Or should I just go home today?"

Midoriya's mouth gaped open as he nervously worked his brain to bite out some retort, but it seemed he was completely unable. Fucking perfect. Of course he'd get a partner who'd be too shit terrified to work with him, and on top of that Deku was permanent until the end of the year. Two workdays a week, with 38 weeks of school left.

"Fine. I'm leaving today, but there's at most 76 days left to work on this project during class alone. Get your shit together so we can come out with the best fucking improvements Deku. I'm aiming for the top, and I'm going to fucking be there every step of the god damn way. Do _not_ bring me down, Deku."

Spitting out the last of his words, Katsuki leaned down to grab his shit, and head for the door.

"Ka-Kacchan! Wait!"

Narrowing his eyes at his small partner in front of him, he balked.

"I can f-fight with you Kacchan. We've already proven that during All Might's first lesson… I'm just nervous about being partners for a year with you. You can't typically be in a 5-foot radius with me alone without wanting to kill me, so how're we supposed to work together for the entire school year…"

His nerd was timid as he spoke, but it was the first time he'd been able to hold eye contact with Katsuki since his first outburst after finding out they were assigned to be partners. Breathing a sigh of relief at the idiot's ability to adjust to his anger quickly, he dropped his shit and dropped to the floor. Leaning back with his legs crossed, the bomber stared at the sky above him.

"You know, I don't _always_ want to fucking kill you. Just when you're being stupid, ya know. If you quit, I dunno… Doing stupid shit, maybe I wouldn't want to beat you up all the time." Katsuki couldn't read his reactions, and for once didn't really want to see what Midoriya was thinking, so he continued.

"I don't know what you have in mind, but your biggest achievement would be controlling your power and not destroying a limb every time you fuckin use it. Personally, for myself, I decided something that would give me more mobility during fights to increase my speed… or possibly dabble in long range attacks. All Might's given us plenty of god damn time to perfect and try out multiple options as long as we don't fuckin procrastinate."

Not being able to keep his eyes off Deku, he looked over at his partner to see if there was any reaction or want to add a comment in. But the dumbass obviously didn't because he immediately began avoiding Katsuki's eyes again.

"We'll meet every. Single. Workday, buttmunch… and we're working the full three hours alone, here or we'll reserve time at the practice fields for battle. Do not tell your fucking friends where we are cause I don't want them tagging along."

Finally finished saying his piece, Katsuki waited in silence for Deku to say something. They technically had another two and a half hours of class, and All Might should be gone from the class already.

"I agree, Kacchan. I need to control my quirk more. To be honest, I'm not used to it, and I haven't figured out what mental image will prevent me from using it at full power… You're right about your quirk as well… What do you want to start on?"

Humming to himself, while he thought on the situation, he couldn't help but feel Deku was more important in this situation.

"Until you can fight me while using your god damn quirk, we can't focus on me. I'll give you five of our days to just focus on your ability and not destroying yourself. If you can't fuckin do it, then we're meeting outside of class too. I can't suffer just because you're too stupid to figure out your own fucking quirk."

Midoriya finally looked up at Katsuki again, mouth agape, but the first happy face the bomber had seen on Deku in years.

"Ok! Let's start today Kacchan!"

* * *

 _ **AN: SO YEAH! I'm slowly going to make the chapters longer and longer until I get to a length I like? Right now, I feel like they're too short, but I don't have the ability to write something longer at the moment .-. (heavily needs to increase English skills)**_

 _ **I really like this fucking couple tho, so I'll probably be updating pretty frequently because it makes me happy to write about their gayness.**_

 _ **On another note, this story is kind of AU, but also, very obviously not. I feel like BnHA goes way too fast on the villains acting, so I'm gonna slowly pepper actual arcs from the show in, but with my hella gay twists. So don't expect the plot to match up exactly, but I will mention and incorporate the arcs eventually. (this will be a super long fic most likely. I like long/chaptered stories c:)**_

 _ **Also, I did rate this "M", but that's gonna be a long time coming, mainly because I want it to be more realistic?**_

 _ **Anyways, hope you enjoyed~**_

 _ ***MeriHara**_ _ *****_


	3. Chapter 3

' _Kacchan isn't fighting it._

 _Well, he's obviously mad about it,_

 _But he's not dead set against us not being partners for the project._

 _Maybe- maybe, this means he doesn't hate me._

… _Or he'll start tolerating me again?_

 _I can work with tolerance, right?_

 _Maybe this is my chance to at least become friends again…'_

* * *

It had been a long time since Izuku had actually held hope in his heart that Kacchan would ever consider talking at a normal level or hanging out with him again, even if it was only during class and for a project. It was a _start_ and he had six hours a week for the rest of the school year to make their friendship a reality, on top of studying and progressing his quirk enough for him and Kacchan to reach the top together. Every minute of their three hours today counted, and he couldn't let Katsuki just walk away today frustrated about the partnership.

"Ok! Let's start today Kacchan!"

A look of surprise drifted over the bomber's face at Izuku's words, apparently caught off guard that he'd want to start working today.

"If today is one of the five workdays, we should definitely start figuring out what I can do to use my power at lower levels so it doesn't harm me…" Midoriya mused curiosuly, looking up at his partner, "What changes the level of your explosions, Kacchan?"

The bomber scoffed, and began staring at the clouds passing over again, leaning back onto his hands.

"My quirk and its explosions are because of the nitroglycerin like sweat I create. Obviously when it's fucking hotter and I'm sweatier, it's gonna be fuckin stronger…" The anger in Katsuki's voice slowly dissipated passing to boredom. "But you're right, I can still control the amount of burst I use. Typically, it's based off of my emotions or wants since the amount of fire I emit at the time to light the fire, will determine the type of blast."

Mumbling to himself, Midoriya went over the options he had in mind that he'd been mulling over before the project had even been assigned to them. "Maybe if I scrap the microwave method and try things with different emotions, or focusing smaller parts of my body that just an entire finger... If I could just finally use the quirk at less than 100%... But there's still the problem of not having someone or something to practice on. It'll be like the tests- tests! Maybe that's it?"

Katsuki rolled over from staring at the sky to raise an eyebrow at Izuku as if to say "okay, go on…" Hope built in the emerald student's heart at the sight of the blonde taking an interest in his ideas.

"Today what if we start off with tests like the fitness tests!" Too excited about the possibility of working with Kacchan today, Izuku began pacing using large hand gestures as he talked excitedly about the project to progress his quirk. "Just like during the fitness exam Aizawa held on the first day of classes. If I try out different ideas to use my quirk without hurting myself, I might be able to slowly adjust until I can!"

Narrowing his eyes quickly, Katsuki scoffed, "but you still hurt yourself, dumbass. Your finger was out of commission and had to be healed by Recovery Girl. We can't have you sent to the nurse's office every time you try a new fucking idea."

Midoriya's eyes darted away, the hope that had built in his heart sinking quick, "I know, Kacchan. But I don't know what else to do besides just test out everything that comes to mind until I finally find a result that works…"

Izuku didn't know what to do by this point. His idea of the microwave obviously wasn't working, what else could he think of? Besides deciding where to concentrate his quirk, he didn't have much control over it. Plus, it was difficult for him to focus while Katsuki was here. The excitement about being able to work with Kacchan again was a little too much for Izuku to process at the moment.

"Deku, you dumbass. Have you never done any research on training strength enhancement quirks? You adjust by trying NOT to fuck something up completely while still using your quirk."

What was Kacchan talking about? Of course he'd done a lot of research, but there was nothing on All Might's quirk because it wasn't public knowledge. Plus, All Might was never much help on explaining how to adjust his levels besides saying "good luck" or "you'll figure it out".

Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Katsuki continued, "You're supposed to train your quirk, activate it without using it for ill intent and adjust to the feel, level, and shit. I bet anything based off how you fucking use it, it's only ever been when you absolutely need to and with the intention of smashing something to fucking pieces."

Holding out his hand, Kacchan lit tiny explosions in his palm. They almost looked like fireworks and the emerald hero was mesmerized by how pretty the bomber's quirk was when he wasn't using it with ill intention towards something.

"No one starts with perfect control over their quirk. I blew up all fucking kinds of shit on accident testing it out when I was a kid. Didn't know what I was fuckin doing most of the time, but it gave me a better understanding of my abilities and limitations." Kacchan ceased the mini explosions before sneering at Izuku once more. "Now fuckin try and activate your god damn quirk. Keep it up till it's a muscle memory or whatever, but do _not_ fucking use it one anything or so help me. I do not want to drag you to the god damn nurse's office cause you destroyed your arm or some shit."

Though Midoriya was still quite nervous and wary of Kacchan's mood swings, he was starting to feel calmer around him. Relaxing, Izuku activated One for All in one of his fingers and held the power there. After a few moments, he restlessly stretched out his fingers and then pulled them into a fist. After repeating the motion a few times, he released his new quirk.

To the hero trainee's amazement, he was fine. Perfectly unharmed. Izuku had never thought to adjust to the feeling of One for All this way, and he was astounded that the route to understanding All Might's quirk could be as simple as this. Maybe the fear of knowing what happens when he activated his quirk deterred him from the idea of practicing all together.

He'd definitely reached an achievement, but he wasn't done yet. He'd need to activate and deactivate without using the quirk until it was muscle memory. From there he should be able to have better control over how much power he uses with One for All. Dazed the emerald hero looked up at Kacchan, only to be taken aback by the smug look that seemed to wash over the bombers face. The last thing Midoriya had expected from his partner was for him to be happy about any improvements.

'Kacchan… why are you so utterly confusing,' crossed Midoriya's mind as he smiled despite himself. However, as soon as the smiled graced Izuku's face, the bomber wrenched himself off the floor and grabbed his bag.

"Great. Now that you're able to do this, it means we're fuckin done working together today. Practice more. Don't. Fucking. Use it. I'm going home." Traipsing past Midoriya, Katsuki headed for the door to leave the roof.

"Ka-Kacchan! Wait!"

Kacchan whipped around, glaring hard at his partner. "What fucking now, Deku!?"

Nervously biting his lip, Izuku's eyes darted to the ground. "Could we… possibly walk home together? If you aren't staying, I should go home too then. I mean, this was our last class and we are neighbors…"

His voice trailed off towards the end, and Kacchan seemed livid.

"Just because we're partners," Katsuki ground out. "Doesn't mean that I want to spend 24/7 with you Deku. We aren't fucking friends, got it? I just don't want to fucking fail this project."

And with that, he stormed out. He left the roof leaving Midoriya to mull over his thoughts.

"Did I do something wrong?"

He spoke the words aloud, willing for someone to answer the question he'd been asking for years. What had he done for Katsuki to revoke their friendship. At first he'd thought it had been because he was quirkless, but that obviously wasn't the case any longer.

What in the world had he done to make Kacchan hate him so?

Maybe once Kacchan could see him as something other than a quirkless nuisance, they could be friends again. Maybe once he can control One for All he'll have the nerve to at least ask his partner why he decided to hate him so vehemently.

* * *

 ** _AN: Sooooo... to anyone who may have read the accidental upload of the unedited version, I'm sorry . I'm not sure how I managed to do that..._**

 ** _I'm quickly noticing that I much prefer typing Kacchan's inner perspective more than Izuku's, but that's ok. I think it's because I think of Izuku as super innocent, where as Deku is like Kacchan's playtoy? I don't know how to explain it... It just means that next chapter will be hella gay tho. Well... not as gay as I'd like. I'm saving that until they can finally fight with each other c:_**

 ** _On another note, I'm kind of starting to find a writing style I like? I'm not sure just yet. We shall see where the next couple chapters take us._**

 ** _Hope you enjoyed everything so far! :D_**

 ** _*MeriHara*_**


	4. Chapter 4

_'Fuck._

 _Fucking shit._

 _Fucking god damn shit!_

 _You're joking. The gods have to be._

 _I can't even last a single fucking hour without treating him like shit.'_

* * *

There were several things that people had never cared to learn about Katsuki when offering their shallow praise. They took him at face value, seeing the anger raging on his face, and the immense power in his quirk. They never stopped to think that maybe it wasn't anger. No one ever thought that the brashness might just be a family personality trait. Or possibly there's the fact that he just doesn't give a shit about others.

However, there was one common misconception that the bomber was incredibly grateful for. Everyone seemed to think Katsuki was straight. People constantly assumed that he liked girls, and just ignored them out of "awkwardness" or whatever the fuck their reasoning was. The thought that Bakugou was gay never once passed through a stranger's mind.

They didn't realize that there was a possibility Katsuki could be attracted to dudes. And that was the outsider's fatal fucking flaw. If they had even doubted his sexuality for a second, they would see that the sole person the bomber was incapable of talking to semi normally was Deku. Deku was the only special one out of all the men, woman, old, young, strangers, and not that Katsuki interacted with.

You know what they say… Boys pick on the ones they like when they can't understand their god damn fucking emotions.

Finally arriving home, Katsuki noted the typical scene of his mom "lovingly berating" her husband. Ignoring them completely, the bomber once again thanked the heavens that very few knew how his mother acted around his father or him. If anyone had known, Katsuki's crush on Deku would have been glaringly fucking obvious to the world.

They'd realize that his inability to properly understand human emotion and interactions were largely skewed because of his mom's personality. If they understood that he was merely a mini me of her, it could directly lead to realizing that Deku was the focus of his "affections".

The bomber's mother had picked up on it instantly when he was a child. "Like mother, like child," she'd told him when she'd noticed his not so secret crush, which led to Katsuki avoiding Deku. Embarrassed, he'd stopped bringing him around the house immediately, and slowly his anger and frustrations at his inability to show his affections grew. However, to the rest of the world, Katsuki merely looked like another bully with a decent, strong quirk.

But the tendencies of anger and brashness that Katsuki inherited from his mother were no longer working in his favor. He now was _partners_ with his fucking elementary school crush for an _entire_ year, and he couldn't get through a god damn smile directed towards him without blowing a handle. How in the world was he supposed to get through this fucking project?

Finally within the confines of his room, Katsuki let fireworks lightly burst forth from his palms in an attempt to relieve his stresses. Breathing in deeply, the blonde student tried to calm his nerves. He could do this. Getting angry and freaking out over nothing is exactly what would cause him to get caught. Stopping the explosions, Katsuki began mumbling to himself.

"I just need to use this project as a dual training session. I can't get through four years with Izuku if I'm leaving the room every time he shoots me a god damn smile. Especially now that he's fucking trying to be friends again. Shit! Why now?!"

Shaking his head vehemently, he threw his bag to the floor and sat down promptly at his desk.

'Might as well get some homework done to keep Deku out of my fucking mind.'

* * *

The next day of school was rather calm. Katsuki had left early in the morning in a successful attempt to avoid his emerald partner. Once he was at school, the bomber immediately began the search for Kirishima. Knowing good and well that once Katsuki found the redhead, Deku wouldn't approach him and stick to his group of goodie-goodies.

Thankfully for Katsuki, it wasn't a work day for the project in All Might's class. Unfortunately for the bomber, tomorrow was…

* * *

"Every fucking Tuesday and Thursday."

Katsuki mused aloud to himself, as he walked along the halls of Yuuei. The morning had been quite uneventful, but unfortunately he was headed to All Might's class now. Earlier before Aizawa's class began, the bomber had angrily shouted at Deku they'd be meeting in the same place as Tuesday.

"Oh yeah, how's that been going for you since you hate Midoriya and all?" Though, the blonde student had assumed he'd spoken so quietly Kirishima hadn't heard, Katsuki was quite unlucky in that retrospect.

"Oh… It's uh, awful to be honest. The nerd's shit scared of me, and I can't keep my god damn anger in check. It's frustrating as hell."

Kirishima raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask about Katsuki's pause before answering.

"Why don't you come meet in the courtyard with me and Mina?" Looking away quickly, the redhead shuddered. "The acid chick is scary, man. She's the main person besides maybe you or Denki that I actually have to watch myself with when sparring."

Katsuki shrugged his shoulders, "Deku doesn't need any distractions if we're going to get top scores. Acid girl would constantly be flitting in and out of his attention range. Thanks for the offer, man." Pausing on his walk with Kirishima, "since we don't have to meet for class. I'm heading off to our meeting place now. Good luck with all the fucking acid"

The bomber smirked at his friend's bad luck before starting his trek up three flights of stairs. Though Deku was awful, he was fucking manageable. Pinky's acid was not fun to deal with.

Breaking through the roof's door, a rare smile broke out on his face noting that no one else had decided to use their area today. Throwing his bag down by the door, Katsuki shed his jacket and began loosening his tie. As he went to undo the top button of his shirt, the heavy door creaked open.

"Kacchan! Hi!"

Katsuki cursed quietly as his pulse increased just from the mere sound of Deku's voice. 'I can do this,' he thought to himself before a sneer appeared on the bomber's pointed face.

"So how far did you get with the muscle memory practice. Does it still take you a fucking minute to activate your quirk?"

A humongous smile broke out over the emerald student's face, as he quickly activated his quirk. The obvious power surge flit on and off in multiple parts of his body with ease.

Fucking Deku must've been up all night the last two days just reactivating his quirk over and over again until he got to this. Scoffing to hide the pride he felt in his partner, Katsuki took an orange from his bag and threw it towards the hero trainee.

"Your task today is going to be crushing that without fucking using 100% of your quirk. If you even think of fully activating your shitty quirk with all your power, I'll fucking break the rest of the bones in your body myself."

With that, Midoriya skeptically looked at the orange in hand.

"But how?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know!? It's your quirk. Figure it out."

Huffing, he stormed to the opposite side of the roof, and began working on a simple exercise to help improve his mobility in the air. Jumping, Katsuki set off a series of explosions to keep him air born. The goal was to see how many in a row he could set off without touching the ground again.

The bomber's goal so far was three explosions before he ran out of sweat on his hands, but Katsuki-

"DEKU! Stop fucking watching me and figure out your own damn quirk."

Katsuki's face threatened to blaze bright red at the realization his partner had been staring in wondor at his exercise. There wasn't anything fucking interesting about them. Why Deku was in awe, the bomber didn't know or want to know.

"Ah! Yes! Sorry Kacchan. It just looked like a lot of fun, and you looked really cool. I'll get to work right away!" Izuku looked mortified that he'd been caught staring, his face tinging bright pink as he went back to trying to figure out how to use One for All on the orange.

' _You're so fucking confusing Deku. Why can't I just figure you out already! My life would be so much easier if you didn't treat everyone with the same damn regard all the time.'_

Shaking his head, Katsuki pushed out thoughts of Deku. The bomber planned to work on his own drills. If his partner needed anything, the nerd would surely ask him.

* * *

 _ **A/N: If I ever have something like:**_ _'this'_ _ **It means it's that person's thoughts. Figured I'd clarify in case someone thought he was speaking the last quote instead of thinking it!**_

 _ **Wow! So I'm definitely writing a bit more than Chapter One. (The first chapter was around 1,000 words), but the last three chapters have averaged at about 1,600 before I felt the need to switch perspectives again. Does that seem like an okay average? Or should I increase the count per chapter?**_

 _ **Other than that, I loved the last chapter of BnHA! Katsuki's mom is EXACTLY how I imagined her to be and I loved it c: I can't wait until later chapters when I get to include her and all her brash teasing. It's going to be beautiful :D**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! ^.^**_

 _ ***MeriHara***_


	5. Chapter 5

' _What's up with Kacchan?_

 _I'm used to his mood swings._

 _But this is something else entirely._

 _It's almost as if he's throwing a child's tantrum…_

 _Looks like Kacchan can be cute in his own way too.'_

* * *

Staring in awe for what was probably a simple exercise for Kacchan, Izuku wondered what it'd be like to practice with his own quirk so casually. The emerald student couldn't wait for the day when he would be able to activate One for All and use various non-dangerous levels.

Smiling happily to himself, Izuku watched the bomber hoping he wouldn't catch him staring. Katsuki was always calmest when using his quirk. It was like the only thing that ever seemed to fully distract him or clear his head-

"DEKU! Stop fucking watching me and figure out your own damn quirk!"

Eyes widening at being caught while stealing a glance at Katsuki, Midoriya tried his best not to stutter as he heavily blushed. "Ah! Yes! Sorry Kacchan. It just looked like a lot of fun, and you looked really cool. I'll get to work right away!"

Now concentrating intently on his partner's orange, Izuku tried his best to _not_ think of Kacchan, and discover a thought process that would prevent him from using a dangerous level of One for All. Mumbling quietly Izuku spoke aloud the different ideas in his head in an attempt to work out the best possibility.

"Scrap the microwave idea entirely as it's obviously not working… Maybe I could think of someone else when I activate One for All. Like my mom or Ka- No. Not a good idea… What to do... Maybe using different levels of my natural muscle strength could carry over into different strengths of the quirk? For instance, I use 10% of my actual muscle strength when squeezing, and if I use One for All with that muscle memory it might not use the full power of One for All."

Though Izuku had still been staring hard at the orange throughout his entire speech, the emerald student had taken to pacing while murmuring wildly to himself. The pacing had slowly drawn in Kacchan's interest, until he'd stopped his own drills entirely to place a hand on Midoriya's shoulder.

"Deku. Stop fucking pacing and just talk with me about what's going through your nerdy mind."

Heat flamed through Izuku's face at the close proximity of himself and Kacchan.

"Ka-Kacch-Kacchan! When did you-" Taking a deep breath, Izuku turned around to face the bomber, trying to will away his blush.

"Well… My idea- it was that I might be able to control the amount of power behind my quirk by adjusting the amount of muscle force I use… I know it doesn't sound like much, but I'm hoping that I can make it work…" Izuku trailed off, nervously glancing to the side as he waited for Katsuki's usually explosive response.

"It could fucking work," Kacchan's voice was harsh per usual, but there was a light behind his eyes that usually wasn't present. "But if you for a damn second think it might fucking hurt you, stop. I don't want to exert any extra fucking energy getting Recovery Girl to you."

Nodding lightly, Izuku pulled One for All into his right hand. Both Kacchan and the emerald student were intently staring at the fruit in his palm, wondering with deep fascination if it could really be this simple. Drawing in a deep breath, Deku finally released his quirk as he lightly squeezed the orange in hand.

For a moment, the partners stared on together unblinkingly before realizing that it wasn't that simple. Nothing was happening, and the orange was in tact still. This idea had been just another bust.

"Fuck! Dammit. I thought it could fuckin work." Kacchan exhaled the breath he'd been holding with a string of curse words. Izuku continued staring without processing.

' _Why didn't it work? I was positive it would. I didn't turn off One for All. I could have sworn I'd used it. Didn't I use it? Where did the power go if I did? Wait… The power. It dissipated when activated without harming me.'_

The small boy's mind was reeling with questions before it finally hit him. "Kacchan! It _did_ work! I _used_ my quirk without getting hurt! It was just at, well… a really low output!"

A grin erupted on Izuku's face, his arms shooting up in the air the orange dropping onto the floor, and Katsuki couldn't help the ecstatic smirk that erupted on his face.

"So you mean to fuckin tell me, that in the span of three days you're able to use your damn quirk without harming yourself. Granted it's fuckin useless at this level, but it's a damn good start! We can get to work in no time."

Izuku's heart sank at the quick realization that Kacchan might only be interested in his progress because they were partners and not him personally. Breathing in deeply, Izuku forced out his continuous smile.

' _It's okay… this is a start. He's not yelling with ill intentions which means we're going somewhere positive…hopefully.'_ The emerald student couldn't block the slightly negative thoughts from his head, but with this new turn in store. They might progress as friends faster than the nervous hero trainee was expecting.

"I'll keep up with practicing this outside of class time. Was there anything else you wanted to do today, Kacchan?"

The bomber looked at Izuku inquisitively, before tutting quietly to himself.

"We should probably practice sparring without using our quirks. Get used to each other's movements so it'll actually be a fucking challenge once we need to start the improvement stage."

A small smile graced Midoriya's face. He hadn't seen this side of Kacchan in a while. The bomber tended to keep his hardworking side hidden, always wanting to appear as though he were effortlessly on top.

Though most of Kacchan's strength, power, and apt mind were natural instinct, Izuku had noticed that he always paid attention and tried his best no matter how small an assignment was.

"Okay Kacchan! Let's go."

Taking up a balanced stance immediately, Izuku sat back and waited for Kacchan to make the first move. The only way he could ever last against the bomber even without their quirks was to keep a balanced head during the fight and try to out maneuver him.

Not to disappoint Katsuki moved in fast, ducking under the right block Izuku put up tackling Izuku to the ground.

"You're pretty fuckin easy once I know your tricks Deku. Next time keep your damn tricks to yourself. I remember _everything_."

The smirk on the proud bomber's face was almost too much for Izuku. Turning his head to the side quickly, the emerald student tried not to think about the sudden close proximity of his partner.

"I sh-shoulda kept that right hook to myself then, right? Guess I was too hyped up in the moment to think about such things." Keeping the nervous stutter out of his voice, he looked back up at Kacchan. His partner's face was mere inches from his own, and Izuku had never been so confused in his life. Since when did Kacchan's anger come off this playfully?

Izuku tried desperately to ignore the fact that his childhood crush was pinning his shoulders down while straddling him, but that was growing harder and harder with each passing second.

"Ka-Kacchan! Let's try again!"

The bomber looked taken aback for a few moments before his eyes flew wide open and he finally jumped off his partner. It hadn't even been full minute, but the close contact left both parties head's reeling.

"Yes. Let's fuckin do it again. But come at me you damned nerd. Don't just sit back. You'll learn more at this fucking point trying to attack than defend."

Midoriya was shocked for a moment. There had never been a time in his life that he could recall Kacchan even taking up the defensive, but it seemed like today was the day. The bomber slid down into a grounded stance, his arms moving out protectively.

"Come at me, dumbass," Katsuki sneered out.

For a moment, Izuku was lost on what to do, but quickly rid himself of his fears. A huge smile breaking out on his face, the emerald student took off towards his partner.

* * *

 _ **A/N: FINALLY IT'S DONE! This was way harder to write than I thought it would be, but I'm kind of happy with how it turned out? I don't know. The next chapter should be much easier to write… I hope . It'll be from Kacchan's perspective which is fun!**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed!**_

 _ ***MeriHara***_


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN: CONTAINS SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO EPISODE 9/CHAPTER 12!**_

' _I tackled him…_

 _To the ground._

 _Spaced out staring at his shitty cute face multiple times._

 _We even grappled for hours._

 _Lost track of time, and sparred two hours past the end of class._

 _And he still hasn't a damn clue I like him._

 _Deku is the most oblivious fucking nerd in the world._

 _If it had been anyone else, I wouldn't be nearly as invested._

… _Thank the gods he's a fucking idiot sometimes.'_

* * *

Last Thursday had been a whirlwind of emotions for Katsuki, and he couldn't be happier that Deku had been chosen as his partner. Though he was shit scared of the rest of the world finding out that the bomber was in fact gay. He was loving the easy reason to spend one on one time with his crush. It wasn't easy for Katsuki to show his emotions, especially acting on them in a positive way. But this was definitely starting to give him the chance to maybe pursue at least a less painful friendship for all involved?

Katsuki was thrown from his thoughts as a press member jostled him, probably not recognizing that he was a student just yet. Scoffing at the inconsiderate actions of the paparazzi trying to get a whiff of All Might, the bomber slipped into the school.

This was getting ridiculous. The press had been camped out for about a day now, since they'd found out about the #1 hero getting a job at Yuuei. Katsuki thought they'd be more thankful and less obnoxious, but how fucking wrong that thought was.

"Fucking vultures."

The bomber murmured to himself as he walked towards the 1-A classroom. Something bad was probably going to happen soon.

* * *

There were too many hours in the fucking day for the bomber. Katsuki sat in Aizawa's class twiddling his thumbs and resisting the urge to set off mini explosions along his fingertips. This class representative stuff was bullshit. Katsuki didn't give a damn about who was chosen, his vote towards the nerd being a complete whim. The bomber certainly hadn't expected it to be the reason he'd actually get chosen.

Point blank, now that Katsuki was out of the running? He was bored. Interest completely lost, his being instead itched to be doing something more active. His last work time with Deku had been perfect. They'd sparred for hours, and the little shit had made more progress than he would have ever dreamed possible.

It's like his elementary school crush that had just magically fucking appeared finally made sense. After ten years of outright denying his attraction to the hero obsessed boy, Katsuki was finally willing to admit it. However, the bomber admonished the fact that it took Deku receiving a quirk for him to accept it. At this point, the bomber felt he didn't deserve his nerd's affections. Their past was filled with more bad than good at this point.

"…Bakugou. Bakugou Katsuki… Were you even paying attention?"

Snapping out of his thoughts at the sound of Iida's voice, Katsuki focused more intently at his spot on the chalk board. Finally noticing that Aizawa-sensei and Deku were no longer occupying the space in front of him, the bomber snapped his attention to the uptight student's face.

"The fuck do you need?" Katsuki snarled at Iida. Not wanting to interact with him if he could help it, the bomber grabbed his bag and stormed out of the classroom. Lunch and then All Might's class time. Absolutely perfect.

Slipping away towards the stairs to the roof, Katsuki allowed himself a quick smile. Deku should know by now to meet him at the roof, so it was only a short thirty minutes before the bomber would get to see his nerd.

Break

It wasn't long into Yuuei's lunch break that the alarm sounded.

"There has been a Level 3 security breach. All students please evacuate outdoors promptly. I repeat-"

Katsuki's heart leapt into his chest. What the fuck was a Level 3 security breach. Why didn't he read the god damn handbook so he knew these things? The bomber was already outside, but where would everyone else go. Would students come here? Would Deku come to the roof?

Katsuki didn't believe so, but he had the urgent feeling to find the status of the school's situation and safety. Jumping to his feet, he ran to the sides of the roof, using a succession of quick explosions to increase speed.

Scanning the edge of the area, the bomber honed in on the state of Yuuei's wall at the entrance. It was destroyed, and somehow the press had broken through, invading the steps of the school. A breath Katsuki didn't know he was holding released. Izuku should be fine then right?

Right?

A nervous energy filled the usually confident bomber, as he wondered how Deku was doing. But with the known knowledge that lunch was nearly over, and seeing the police beginning to arrive at the scene, Katsuki began to feel calmer. He just needed to wait until the panic dissipated. Then Izuku would show his shitty face on the roof. He'd have to.

So Katsuki waited.

And waited.

And continued to wait far longer than the bomber's patience would typically allow for.

Katsuki waited a total of fifty-two minutes before his fucking nerd finally showed his face on the roof. The emerald hero was red in the face and huffing horribly, completely out of breath. The bomber angrily ignored his partner, waiting for the boy to finally fucking explain why the hell Katsuki had to wait thirty-seven more minutes than his patience ran for.

"K-K-Kacchan! I'm so sorry I'm late! There was the alarm, and everyone was in a panic. Plus we had a class meeting to make Iida the class representative instead. I'm really sorry I didn't come here first, but when I saw that you weren't in the classroom and I just- I'm sorry!"

Izuku blurted out his apologies in a hurried manner, still pink in the face with a fucking horribly cute, pleading face. Katsuki, still wanting to be angry, turned his head to the side and crossed his arms. The bomber was planning to ignore the emerald student for as long as he see fit. Though Katsuki's reactions may be childish, he felt completely within his right to do so.

"K-Kacchan?"

His partner's timid voice peaked Katsuki's interest, so he slid his eyes over to look at Deku. His head was cocked to the side all fucking cute, his eyes wide full of confusion. The hero trainee's brows were scrunched together as if he were trying to understand the bomber. Still too pissed off to answer, Katsuki merely scrunched his nose while remaining quiet.

"Are you not going to hit me? Or yell at me like you typically do? I don't ever think I've seen you this quiet, to be honest." Sincere curiosity rang out in Deku's voice, but that didn't change the fact that it pissed off the bomber.

"Why the fuck would I hit or yell!? I don't always fucking do that!" Eyes skirting to the side, his voice quieted slightly, "I was worried about you, shitface. Lunch ended almost a full fucking hour ago, and I waited for fifty-two god damn minutes!" Katsuki's voice was as harsh as always when he rambled. He was always so fucking nervous and angry around this shitty excuse for a crush, that the bomber couldn't control what he said or did really.

Though once again, Katsuki had been screaming, but possibly for the first time ever Izuku didn't seem phased. The nerd was completely frozen, but his eyes showed confusion not fear. Possibly understanding? The bomber couldn't tell, and it was pissing him off like crazy.

"Fucking what, _Deku_?!"

The usually timid Izuku was slowly walking towards him. Typically, when the bomber yelled, it was a look of fear paired with running. He'd never once advanced towards him. What in the world was going on through the dumbass's mind? The bomber's nerves skyrocketed for the first time in his short life.

Katsuki immediately decided that this was not for him. His crush was officially the last person he wanted to face. Especially not now as he stood so closely in front of him that he could see Deku's freckles up close and personal for the first time since being a toddler.

"Deku-" Katsuki's voice was gruff and slightly panicked, but quickly cut off by the swift kiss Izuku placed on his cheek.

"It's okay, Kacchan. I'm fine! See?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sorry this took a while to get out! I've been really busy with work lately. Oh my god it's exhausting working full time ;-;**_

 _ **BUT! How'd you like the chapter? I'm not 100% happy with how it turned out, but I enjoyed writing it nonetheless c:**_

 _ **The next chapter will regrettably a slight filler chapter. But the next Katsuki chapter is going to be soooooo much fun to write! I'm super stoked for it :D**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed~**_

 _ ***MeriHara**_ _ *****_


	7. Chapter 7

' _Kacchan…_

 _He's pouting._

 _And he was worried about me over something so minor._

 _What in the world happened?_

 _Does… Does Kacchan perhaps like me?'_

* * *

Izuku would never be able to tell you what it was that drove him to kiss Kacchan. Even on the cheek was a humongous step for the nervous hero trainee. One he wasn't sure he should make. Anyone would have known that was a horrible idea. Invading Katsuki's space was the last thing you should do if you wanted to keep your body in tact, much less kissing him. However, a kiss was the very thing that Izuku decided to do.

Having walked straight up to Katsuki, the emerald student balanced on tiptoes and managed to plant a soft kiss on the bomber's cheek.

"It's okay, Kacchan. I'm fine! See?"

Izuku was incredibly surprised he was able to mask the nervousness from his voice, boasting a small, cheery smile. The emerald student held his breath waiting for Katsuki to say something. Of all the reactions Izuku had seen from his partner over the years, this was the first time he'd ever seen him blush or seem embarrassed. And oh, what a reaction it was.

Though not much of Katsuki's skin was showing through the many layers of his school uniform, what was shone bright red. His cheeks were even a darker, truer red than Izuku's favorite shoes.

"Fuck you, Deku. I'm fucking leaving. Practice by your god damn self, shithead!"

With that, Kacchan quickly gathered his things and stormed away from roof. Midoriya, though slightly flabbergasted, was not fully surprised by the bomber being unpredictable. That was the one solid constant Izuku had learned about Katsuki over the years.

Kacchan was full of surprises.

* * *

Over the next few days, Kacchan ignored Izuku entirely. He wouldn't speak to him in class. The bomber would sneer and avoid him in the hallways. While keeping Kirishima close, Izuku's partner found a way to never look at, speak, or walk in the emerald boy's general direction, and frankly, the hero trainee was quite sick of it. To the outside world, not a whole lot had changed, but to the emerald boy everything had changed.

It was as if his mere kiss one the check had caused him to fall back to the beginning of the bomber's hatred for him. He'd failed this test with Kacchan, and his punishment was to work his way up to talking again. The last time had taken him almost ten years, and Izuku refused to let it take that long again.

Early Sunday morning, three days after the press's break in and the stupid peck, Izuku taking charge of the situation once again scurried up to Kacchan's house. Slightly intimidated by the fact he hadn't been to his childhood crush's house since they were mere children, the emerald boy slowly rapped his knuckles on the door.

For a moment there was no answer before he heard a loud bellow from inside.

"KATSUKI! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR YOU'RE LITERATELY STANDING RIGHT THERE!"

Smiling at the sound of Kacchan's mom scolding him, Izuku was slightly startled when the door opened immediately. Feeling rough hands push him backwards, the hero trainee stumbled trying to keep his balance.

"He-Hey! Kacchan. What was that for?"

The bomber glared at Izuku for only a moment, before shouting to his mom back inside the house, "I'm leaving now. Bye mom!"

Not even waiting to here a reply from his mom, Katsuki grabbed his arm and roughly pulled him away from his house without a single word. Walking barely five minutes, they stopped in front of the Midoriya household.

"Is your mom home?" The bomber spat out the words, not even daring to make eye contact with Izuku.

"No, she runs errands on Sunday. She'll be gone for another couple hours." Izuku's voice was small, not sure what to fully expect as Kacchan pulled him roughly towards his front door. Fumbling with the key to his door, the emerald hero tried to let them in quickly. After a few moments, he finally stumbled into his house. Kacchan immediately pushing past him, heading to his room.

Taken aback that the bomber remembered where his room was, Izuku scampered after him. As they settled in, Midoriya resting on his bed with Kacchan sprawled out on his floor, awkwardness fell in quietly.

"Ka-" Izuku spoke trying to break the silence.

"I like you, Deku."

Hope filled in Izuku's heart at the small voice of Kacchan. He almost didn't believe that this could be truth, maybe a dream possibly. That's right. He was dreaming. There was no way the bomber would confess to the emerald boy.

"But I can't fucking do it! It's god damn weird. Not right. You shouldn't fuckin be with me. Someone better. Right? Like you can fucking see that? Can't you, you god damn nerd?!"

There it was. The Katsuki that Izuku knew. The rage, the anger, and the immense amount of incredibly pissed off faces. Midoriya never thought in a million years that Kacchan would confess to him. Why should he? Katsuki was the genius, while Izuku was merely the quirkless nerd.

"Why should it even matter if I like you back!?"

For the first time, Izuku talked back. Showing the anger that had been pent up over the years. The fear that had always held him back, finally dissipating completely as he stood up towering over Kacchan.

"Why in the world does it matter if you think I should be with someone better? I've been in love with you for the last ten years, Kacchan. I've followed you and put up with your bullying because I just wanted to know what the hell happened to us! You were my best friend Kacchan. I just wanted to know why you suddenly cut me out of your life!"

Izuku was breathing heavily. Ranting at Kacchan took a lot out of him, and before calming down he sent the bomber his best glare. Though it came off more of an cute, angry kitten's glare, it made the emerald boy feel better and calm down enough to say his next words.

"I just wanted to know the reason Kacchan… And maybe ask if we could be friends again? I love you, but I didn't ever expect anything, you know? How could you even want to be with a quirkless nerd like me?"

Having exhausted the pent up emotions and thoughts over the last ten years, Izuku lost his steam. Skirting his eyes away, he didn't see the bomber rushing to stand up. Nor did the emerald boy notice that Katsuki was in front of him in less that three seconds.

What Izuku did notice was when Katsuki's hand found its way to his face, and Kacchan placed his lips directly onto the emerald hero's. As if time had stopped, Izuku lost himself completely in the moment.

* * *

 _ **A/N: There we go! The next chapter :D It's a little bit shorter than I wanted it to be, but I was being rushed by the boyfie ;-; Oh wells!**_

 _ **I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter will be REALLY long because I want it to be from Katsuki's POV from this chapter, and it'll also be hitting a major point in BnHA! So if you're not caught up you should try to beeeee c: haha**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed~**_

 _ ***MeriHara***_


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